Amnesty International Write for Rights 2022

Posted on by Our Savior Lutheran Church and Campus Ministry

Write for Rights is Amnesty International’s largest annual Human Rights campaign, held throughout December to mark International Human Rights Day on December 10th.   During this season of Advent and throughout the year, many people wait in despair and without hope, often unjustly imprisoned.  These people are Prisoners of Conscience.  Jesus was a Prisoner of Conscience as he so often spoke out for Human Rights.  As people of God, we have an opportunity and a responsibility to be a voice for those who have no voice by writing letters on their behalf.  Through the power of collective action, these letters convince government officials to free people unjustly imprisoned and to end other abuses.   For the past 12 years, during the Advent Season, our Social Ministry Committee has sponsored a letter-writing campaign for members of the congregation to write letters on behalf of, and personally to prisoners of conscience.   These are letters of mercy (solidarity to the individual) and justice (to government officials for the release of the person).

To those who picked up a packet, thank you!  Wendy Manganiello will have more letter packets to share on Sunday, December 11.  If you have questions or would like copies, please contact Wendy. 

Thank you for taking your time during Advent to write and send these letters.  They do make a difference!

Hope for the Holidays

Posted on by Our Savior Lutheran Church and Campus Ministry

This is an easy and wonderful opportunity to involve children (and even adults) in caring for others. Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (LIRS) offers a program called “Hope for the Holidays.” The goal is to bring hope and light to thousands of immigrant children in the US. The project is to make homemade cards to be distributed at migrant detention centers across the country and at shelters along the border, reminding the families, especially their children, that they are not forgotten this holiday season. Either you can mail them yourself or bring them to church by November 27 and Wendy Manganiello will collect and mail them. The children will be making cards during Kid’s Club on Sunday, November 20.

Here are the steps and the link for further information.

Step 1:
Make a card and write a message of hope and encouragement in English or Spanish. Draw a picture, or share a poem or just write words of hope. Sign the card with your first name, city and state. DO NOT put cards into individual envelopes.

Step 2:
Bring the cards to church no later than Sunday, November 27

or

Add a note that these cards are from Our Savior Lutheran Church, Hanover, NH 03755. Then, Mail the cards in a larger envelope to: First English Lutheran Church, 3807 N Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21218.

You can find more information about LIRS “Hope for the Holidays,” here. If you have any questions, please speak to Wendy Manganiello.

2022 Bread for the World Offering of Letters

Posted on by Our Savior Lutheran Church and Campus Ministry

As Christians, we are called to seek justice, care for those experiencing hunger and poverty, and embrace our Creator’s vision of hope, love, and peace. We are called to embody it in public as we commit to live in solidarity with those who are made vulnerable by the inequities that drive hunger and poverty in the United States and around the world.

Letters are a strong witness of community concerns and personal testimonies. Over the years, letters and emails from congregations, campuses, and community groups have helped inspire our leaders in Washington, D.C., to pass legislative victories that reduce hunger in the U.S. and around the world.

This year, Bread for the World is asking for your help urging legislators to permanently expand the Child Tax Credit (CTC). Expanding the CTC permanently would do more to reduce hunger and poverty among our nation’s children than any single policy has in decades.

Here’s how you can make a difference:

  1. Read this fact sheet to learn about the impact of the Child Tax Credit.
  2. Watch the brief video below from Bread for World.
  3. Act – click here to take action by emailing your members of Congress to help end hunger today! If you prefer to handwrite your letter, you can find a sample letter here and addresses here. Bring your written letters to church and we’ll offer them in worship on Sunday, May 29th before mailing them.
  4. Contact Paul or Wendy Manganiello, OSLC’s Offering of Letter organizers, to let them know you’ve submitted your letter.

Hope for the Holidays

Posted on by Our Savior Lutheran Church and Campus Ministry

Here is a wonderful opportunity to involve children (and even adults!) in helping others.  Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (LIRS) offers a program called “Hope for the Holidays.”  The goal is to bring hope and light to thousands of immigrants in the US.  It is quite easy!  Make homemade cards to be distributed at migrant detention centers across the country and at shelters along the border, reminding individuals and families that they are not forgotten during the holiday season. The steps are simple and the deadline for mailing is December 3.

Step 1:
You can make a card and write messages of hope and encouragement in English or Spanish.  Draw a picture or share a favorite poem, quote or Bible verse to personalize the card.  Sign the card with your first name and city/state.  DO NOT put cards in individual envelopes.

Step 2
Place all the cards you have made in a larger envelope and add a note that these cards are from Our Savior Lutheran Church, Hanover, NH 03755.

Step 3
Mail this larger envelope to
First English Lutheran Church
3807 N Charles Street
Baltimore, Maryland  21218

If you would like more info, you can watch this webinar.
If you have questions, contact the church office or Wendy Manganiello.

LISTEN’s Holiday Basket Program

Posted on by Our Savior Lutheran Church and Campus Ministry

For many years OSLC has participated in the LISTEN Holiday Basket Program, previously called the Giving Tree.  The program began many years ago as an effort to make sure that our neighbors in the Upper Valley did not face the holidays without gifts for their children and enough grocery money to make a festive meal.  Last year alone LISTEN helped 486 people celebrate the holidays. Our congregation contributed to its success last year and we would like to do so again this year.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, LISTEN is once again requesting monetary contributions instead of specific purchased items. The donations will be used to provide families with gift cards for winter clothes for children and a grocery store gift card for food purchases.The needs of our Upper Valley neighbors have increased since the beginning of the pandemic. There are already families on the wait list for this program. The goal is to provide a $100 gift card for each child in a family so that the adult is able to purchase the children’s winter clothes, and a $50 grocery card per family. If there are enough funds, LISTEN will be able to serve some of those on the wait list too.Please help bring Christmas Joy to our neighbors in need:

  • You can donate online directly at www.listencs.org/donate. Enter the requested information and under “I wish to support:” select Holiday Baskets. List OSLC in the special note box.
  • You can write a check and send it to LISTEN Community Services at 60 Hanover Street, Lebanon, NH, 03766, and indicate in the memo field that this gift is for holiday baskets, OSLC.

Please consider making this donation ASAP so that LISTEN can have enough time to plan for and distribute the Holiday Baskets before the holiday season starts. Help bring joy to families in our community.

Bread for the World Offering of Letters

Posted on by Our Savior Lutheran Church and Campus Ministry

As people of faith, we know that we are called to care for one another. We are called to speak out for all those in need, especially our children. What is critically needed now is our unified voice assuring that people receive the help they desperately need now. By participating in this year’s Bread for the World (BFW) Offering of Letters you will make a difference, not just to Bread for the World, but to those who experience hunger and poverty. 

Continue reading Bread for the World Offering of Letters